Two Australians are among the 69 people who died in last week’s high-speed train collision in Spain, authorities have confirmed. Their names have not been released.
A legal identification body staffed by police and forensic experts said late Monday that it had confirmed the identities of three more victims: two Australians and one Japanese citizen. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Wednesday that it was providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong offered condolences to Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, and to the Spanish people. She said Australia’s thoughts were with those who had lost loved ones, the injured and everyone affected by the collision.
The victims include 54 Spanish nationals and 15 people from other countries. The foreign victims identified in the report include four US citizens, two Australians, two Japanese citizens and one person each from Argentina, Canada, France, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia and the Czech Republic.
The crash occurred when a Renfe train struck the rear of a stationary train operated by Iryo outside the village of Urda, about 130 kilometres south of Madrid. An automatic safety system stopped trains on a 63-kilometre section of track, but a control centre authorised the Renfe service to continue while the other train remained stationary.
The collision was Spain’s second high-speed train crash this year. A January accident in Andalusia killed 46 people. Relatives of those killed in the latest disaster have faced a lengthy wait as forensic teams work to identify the victims.
Sources: The Guardian World.